Ashley Peters, 23, left California for Japan and can finally afford to live alone. She pays $483/month for her apartment outside Tokyo, earns her income through freelance social media and digital marketing work, and now spends freely on sushi, 7/11 konbini meals and daily life without stressing over rent.

Ashley Peters, 23, left California for Japan and can finally afford to live alone. She pays $483/month for her apartment outside Tokyo, earns her income through freelance social…

"Being here has freed up not just money, but mental space," says Ashley Peters, who moved to Japan less than a year after graduating from college.